"He's the biggest star outside Conor McGregor" - Brendan Schaub confident nobody is beating Israel Adesanya at middleweight
Brendan Schaub is in awe of Israel Adesanya's star power as well as his prolific skillset inside the octagon. Schaub also regards Adesanya as the biggest star in the UFC after Conor McGregor.
He feels that 'The Last Stylebender' is virtually invincible as a middleweight and probably doesn't have anything else to prove in the division. 'Big Brown' furthermore believes Adesanya and Jon Jones are currently the two best mixed martial artists in the UFC.
The people's champ 👑
[ @Stylebender | #UFC271 ] https://t.co/J4cYUtSGLQ
According to Schaub, the Nigerian-born Kiwi should be ranked above 'Bones' because of his impeccable technique and ability to dominate fights. Schaub is also confident that Adesanya's upcoming opponent Jared Cannonier will struggle against 'The Last Stylebender' should they fight for the title later this year.
In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, the former UFC heavyweight said:
"I don't know what's left for Izzy [Adesanya] at middleweight. He's too dominant dude, there's not a man on this planet who's gonna beat him at middleweight... He's the best we have to offer in the UFC. It's him or Jon Jones but as far as technique-wise goes, dominance-wise, there's nobody better than Izzy. He's the biggest star outside Conor McGregor, hands down... At middleweight there's not a lot for him. I bet Jared Cannonier's next, that's a very tough night in the office for Cannonier [and] he's [Adesanya has] beat everybody else."
Check out Schaub's take on Israel Adesanya's future at middleweight in the video below:
Brendan Schaub names perfect opponent for Israel Adesanya's second attempt at becoming a two-division champion
With Israel Adesanya defending his middleweight title successfully, Schaub feels it's time for 'The Last Stylebender' to again ply his trade in the light heavyweight division. In March last year, Adesanya moved up to 205lbs to challenge Jan Blachowicz for the title.
However, he fell short, losing via unanimous decision at the end of five rounds. Schaub believes Adesanya should again attempt to become a two-division champion down the line, but only if he finds the right opponent. Reigning light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira is expected to defend the title against Jiri Prochazka at UFC 274 in May.
The Brazilian champ officially has his next assignment. Glover Teixeira (@gloverteixeira) vs. Jiri Prochazka (@jiri_bjp) is a go for UFC 274 on May 7. Tough first title defense, but Glover’s entire road to this title has been tough. https://t.co/vvlJkwHRt1
Schaub expects Prochazka to win the fight. If he does, 'Big Brown' feels it'd be the best stylistic matchup for Adesanya to once again challenge for the 205lbs title. Schaub pointed out that Prochazka and Adesanya are similar in size. 'Big Brown' also believed the Czech fighter wouldn't try to grapple with 'The Last Stylebender'.